# EUR-Lex - 52013DC0172 - EN

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# 52013DC0172

**COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Establishing a European Law Enforcement Training Scheme /* COM/2013/0172 final */**

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Establishing a European Law Enforcement
Training Scheme

1.
Introduction

Transnational
crime can only be countered by cross-border cooperation, with police, customs,
border guards and other authorities working together. Unless those authorities
are properly trained, and unless there is sufficient mutual trust, such
cooperation will not be effective.

There has already
been considerable progress in implementing training on cross-border matters in
the EU. For instance, common curricula and exchange programmes for law
enforcement officers have been developed and implemented for a number of years.
Member States are involved in this joint effort with EU agencies such as the
European Police College (CEPOL), the European Police Office (Europol) and the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the
External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex). In 2012, more than 300 exchange programmes between law
enforcement officers across the EU were organised. New learning methods, such
as CEPOL’s ‘webinars’ were used by more than 3 000 participants in 2012.
Participation in EU training is growing, with more than 5 000 enrolled at CEPOL
and 3 000 at Frontex last year.

However, more
needs to be done, for instance, to raise the profile of
EU instruments for police cooperation and the role of EU
agencies created to support law enforcement services in fighting crime. More
officials should use the resources available to reach their full potential. Training
should adequately respond to training needs and more firmly support priorities such
as fighting cybercrime[1]
and trafficking in drugs and in human beings, agreed at EU level for
operational cooperation. Effective coordination between Member States and EU
agencies, taking into account the work by international organisations such as
Interpol and the United Nations, is needed to ensure a coherent approach to training
to the highest quality standards at EU level.

That is why this
Communication proposes a European Law Enforcement Training Scheme
(hereafter ‘LETS’, or ‘the Training Scheme’) to equip law
enforcement officers with the knowledge and skills they need to prevent and
combat cross-border crime effectively through efficient cooperation with their EU
colleagues. The Training Scheme aims to make the EU’s response to common
security challenges more effective, to raise the standard of policing across
the EU and to stimulate the development of a common law enforcement culture as
a means of enhancing mutual trust and cooperation. It seeks to identify and address gaps in existing law enforcement
training on cross-border matters by supporting and, where appropriate, by coordinating
the delivery of training by European and national centres of excellence.

The Training Scheme
responds to the European Council’s call, in the Stockholm
Programme[2],
to step up training on EU-related issues and to make them systematically
accessible for all relevant law enforcement professionals, and to requests from
the European Parliament for a stronger EU framework for judicial and police
training[3].
It seeks to ensure that:

·
law enforcement cooperation instruments that the EU has developed over time, such as Prüm information
exchange[4] and Europol’s criminal intelligence data bases, are better known
and used both in bilateral and multilateral contacts between Member States.

·
EU law enforcement officials are equipped with
the skills and knowledge needed to tackle transnational crimes causing the
greatest harm to victims and society as a whole.

·
law enforcement officials cooperating with third
countries or taking part in EU civilian missions there are properly trained.

The Training Scheme
proposed in this Communication applies to law enforcement officials of all
ranks, from police officers to border guards and customs officers, as well as, where appropriate, other state officials, such as
prosecutors[5].
Learning facilitated by the Training Scheme or provided
under it should build upon existing training at national and EU level
and should be based on regular assessments of training needs. Training should
be offered through modern, effective learning tools, such as specialised
courses, common curricula,
web-based learning materials, and exchange programmes.

To implement
the training effort envisaged in this Communication, an EU agency with the
appropriate legal mandate and the necessary resources is needed. In parallel
with this Communication, the Commission therefore proposes a new legal
framework for Europol, granting it powers to work on training which exceed those
of CEPOL — presently the only EU agency responsible exclusively for law
enforcement training. By simultaneously closing CEPOL, synergies will be
created, as training will be close to operational work and embedded in a bigger
structure, and administrative costs will go down, freeing up resources to
deliver more output under the Training Scheme.

A new training
directorate at Europol, the Europol Academy, will therefore be expected
to implement the Training Scheme, with a focus on quality standards. Pending
adoption of the proposed merger by the Council and European Parliament and its entry
into force, CEPOL will assume this role as far as possible. Implementing the
scheme will require a joint effort on the part of the network of national
training academies, national border guard and customs academies (hereafter ‘the
network of national training academies’) the Europol Academy other JHA agencies
— Frontex in particular. The Commission’s role will mainly be to monitor
progress in the implementation.

This
Communication draws on a mapping of training needs and delivery conducted by
CEPOL[6], consultations with
Member States’ experts and JHA agencies in four expert meetings and three conferences in which members of the
European Parliament took part, held in 2011 and 2012.

The
Europol Academy will be the coordinating EU entity for law enforcement
training. However, Frontex will remain responsible for training border guards,
in accordance with its legal framework.

2.
EU strategic priorities on crime and security and the
training gap
2.1.
Current EU training context

There are structures for training law
enforcement officials in all Member States, as well as systematic cooperation with
EU agencies in the JHA domain. At EU level, the following agencies are
active in training law enforcement officials.

CEPOL works
closely with the network of national training academies. In 2012, it organised 86
classroom courses for 2059 participants on a range of topics, including
specific law enforcement techniques, such as police interviews and techniques
for murder investigations, training on economic crime, such as asset recovery
and money laundering, and crisis management. CEPOL has also developed expertise
in ‘training the trainers’, implemented the ‘Exchange Programme for police
officers inspired by Erasmus’[7],
and established online learning modules on topics such as cybercrime, joint investigation
teams and mobile organised crime groups. However, such training is only made
available to senior police officers because of limitations in CEPOL’s legal mandate,
and budgetary constraints limit the number of courses.

Europol works
closely with CEPOL in providing courses under CEPOL’s framework and has
developed several courses related to crime analysis and specific types of crime,
such as cybercrime. Frontex has a specific mandate to train border
guards[8]
and has developed common curricula implemented by Member States, including a quality
framework for guarding borders[9].
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) runs two specific programmes dealing with
training on fighting euro counterfeiting and on protecting the financial
interest of the EU. The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) offers fundamental
rights training tools for police trainers. The European Monitoring Centre
for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the European Asylum Support
Office (EASO) are both involved in training on specific topics relevant to
their mandates.

At national level, where most
training of law enforcement officials continues to take place, specialised issues
such as drug trafficking, cybercrime, financial crime and money laundering,
cross-border organised crime investigations, and EU legal issues, are generally
covered, and often implemented as part of bilateral cooperation between Member
States. Still, consultations with experts point to a clear need for more training,
with EU support, in these areas.

Internationally, organisations such as Interpol and the United Nations (UN) offer
training on law enforcement, anti-terrorism and crisis management. Interpol
provides e-learning on various topics such as drug investigation, interrogation
and terrorism-related topics. The UN offers a variety of courses on
crisis management. While valuable for EU law enforcement authorities in complementing
other training, such courses rarely cover specific EU instruments and are not
generally designed with EU policing standards in mind.

2.2.
The need for training in EU internal and
external priority areas

Effective cross-border law enforcement
cooperation starts with equipping officials with basic knowledge on the EU
policing context and on available tools, such as Europol and Eurojust, or
instruments for information exchange, such as the Prüm Decisions[10]. Knowledge and understanding
of cross-border policing is an indispensable starting point for officers to be involved
in cross-border cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, and for building
mutual trust.

The EU has defined priorities for action
against common threats in the areas of serious and organised crime, terrorism,
cybercrime, border security and crisis management. These priorities will be kept
under regular review, based on the Serious and Organised Crime Threat
Assessment (SOCTA) produced by Europol every four years (as from 2013). To
reduce the harm that these threats cause and to support operational priorities
agreed at EU level to tackle them, specialised training should be provided
where needed.

The EU takes responsibility for supporting capacity-building
in third countries by providing mentoring and advice and by helping to establish
sustainable civilian police structures run in accordance with international standards.
Civilian missions take place in third countries under the coordination of the
European External Action Service (EEAS). Over 1000 EU law enforcement officials
are deployed in missions each year to places such as (in 2012) South Sudan,
Kosovo, Niger and Iraq. The role of law enforcement in these missions focuses
on policing, the rule of law, civilian administration, and civil protection. Member
States also work with third countries bilaterally to assist in building law
enforcement capacity where the EU is involved, for instance, in the emerging democracies
in North Africa.

2.3.
Training gaps

Despite the efforts of national, EU and
international actors and cooperation between them, there are still significant
gaps between training needs and training currently available in the EU[11].

Member States’ training programmes usually
cover basic knowledge of EU instruments and the EU dimension of day-to-day
policing, but not necessarily to a consistent standard.

Law enforcement authorities and EU agencies
have pointed to a lack of qualified trainers and consistent learning materials on
cross-border investigations. Training organised by EU agencies on specialised
policing themes, such as financial crime, money laundering, human trafficking and
drug trafficking are in high demand. If the Europol Academy coordinates and
delivers such training, this will reduce costs by reducing the need for each
Member State to invest in similar programmes.

Exchange programmes for police, border
guards and customs officers with investigative powers are already helping to
spread good practice and to build trust. Subject to availability of funds, such
programmes should be made available more widely, in principle for all ranks and
between all agencies within the scope of the Training Scheme.

More generally, language skills, including
English, which is increasingly used in cross-border cooperation, are a crucial
competence for all law enforcement officials involved in cross-border
cooperation. However, there are still too few officials available with language
skills of a sufficiently high standard in many Member States.

Pre-deployment training for civilian
missions often lacks coordination and standardisation, leading to unacceptable
differences in the level of preparedness of staff deployed.

There is, moreover, scope for more consistent
and efficient help to third countries requesting assistance in law enforcement
capacity-building by offering training, or sharing knowledge and good
practices.

In general, the EU lacks a transparent
quality framework for trainers operating at EU level and a systematic process
for identifying and addressing strategic training needs, which are constantly
evolving.

3.
Four EU training strands

To step up the
development, delivery and evaluation of the training
and learning opportunities needed to meet the EU’s cross-border law enforcement
challenges, the Training Scheme should focus on improving knowledge, skills and
competence[12] across four strands. These range from
generic knowledge to highly specialised competencies, and all build upon
existing training at national, EU and international level.

3.1.
Strand 1: Basic knowledge of the EU dimension of
Law Enforcement

Any of the EU’s
1.9 million law enforcement officials[13]
might have to deal with cross-border crime at some point in their working lives.
Knowledge of EU and cross-border aspects of policing is a core competence in
terms of operational effectiveness and career development. This knowledge should
include principles of effective law enforcement cooperation, fundamental rights,
the role of Europol, Frontex and Eurojust and the use of EU information
management tools and channels such as the ‘Swedish Initiative’[14] and the Schengen Information
System[15].
Without this, there is a risk of serious inefficiencies in cross-border
policing.

Therefore, a
standard minimum level of knowledge and skills on the EU context of law
enforcement should be developed for all law enforcement officials at all ranks.
This should contribute to developing a common law enforcement culture.

The Commission
will encourage Member States to implement this competence into their initial
and vocational training for officials, and on training days for officials
already on the job. The Europol Academy will monitor and evaluate its follow-up and the outcomes will be included
in a Commission report every three years (see section 5.4).

In the first semester of 2014, CEPOL, in cooperation with Member
States and Frontex, will propose a standard EU level of knowledge and skills
for all law enforcement officials on the EU dimension of law enforcement.

3.2.
Strand 2: Effective bilateral and regional
cooperation

The success of cross-border
police operations depends, in part, on law enforcement officials’ ability to
apply EU and international instruments such as the European Arrest Warrant[16], rogatory letters[17] and readmission procedures[18]. Law enforcement officials should
also have more specific knowledge of bilateral arrangements between Member
States and the ability to communicate in relevant languages, with an awareness
of cultural differences and sensitivities.

Member States will
be encouraged to provide appropriate national training at a more in-depth level
than the standard competence for strand 1, while further developing bilateral
and regional training projects for cross-border cooperation. The Europol Academy will support Member
States where requested, by providing learning tools and collecting and
disseminating best practices.

By the end of 2013, CEPOL should present to the Standing Committee
on Internal Security (COSI) a work plan to support bilateral and regional
training. In 2014, CEPOL should present an updated overview of bilateral
training activities and training needs in Member States and subsequently
pro-actively offer available best practices meeting those needs. On request by
Member States, CEPOL could make available appropriate learning tools.

3.3.
Strand 3: EU thematic policing specialism

The EU’s
priorities for cross-border law enforcement cooperation are defined in the Internal
Security Strategy[19]
and the EU policy cycle on serious and organised crime[20], which is based on Europol’s Organised
Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) and as from 2013, on Serious Organised Crime
Threat Assessment (SOCTA). Each of those priorities points to a need for an
efficient, targeted approach to training on a specialised, thematic level for a
limited group of officials. Training on specific themes such as trafficking in
drugs, human beings and firearms, cybercrime, corruption, confiscation of
criminal assets, and financial investigations will bring together experts from
Member States who will exchange best practices in addition to receiving the
training itself, and also network, which will enhance mutual trust. Such
training could also, when particularly relevant for the priority in question,
cover interagency cooperation at national or European level between different
law enforcement agencies such as police, border guards and customs.

In close
cooperation with the network of national training academies, the Europol
Academy should analyse training needs to identify gaps between existing specialist
Member State-level and international training and the skills and knowledge
required in these areas. Training should be delivered through the network of
national training academies or, where appropriate, directly by the Europol
Academy. It should typically take the form of classroom courses, supplemented
by e-learning tools. This strand will eventually require certification of specialised
training according to agreed quality standards to be recognised by all Member
States (see section 4.2). The Europol Academy’s annual budget, as part of
Europol’s overall budget, should be primarily devoted to implementing this
strand.

Once the priorities for the ‘EU policy cycle on serious and
organised crime’ for the period 2013-2017 are set, CEPOL should carry out, and
submit to COSI by the end of 2013, a gap analysis. On this basis, training
under Strand 3 can be developed by CEPOL and the network of national police
academies as from 2014.

3.4.
Strand 4: Civilian missions and
capacity-building in third countries

All law
enforcement officials who take part in EU civilian missions in third countries
should have pre-deployment training as a precondition for deployment. Member
States and the Europol Academy should recognise, support and build on existing
training initiatives such as Europe’s New Training Initiative for Civilian
Crisis Management[21],
an EU-funded programme drawing together expertise from across the EU, the
United Nations and other international bodies to prepare personnel
participating in civilian missions. Training institutes for crisis management in
Member States that provide training for deployment on a civilian mission could
operate as centres of excellence for implementing Strand 4 and train officials
from Member States that do not have such centres, coordinated by the Europol
Academy.

In the
interest of a consistent EU approach, the Europol Academy should also provide
guidance and expertise to EU-funded assistance programmes related to law
enforcement.

Finally, the
Europol Academy should liaise with Member States and Frontex on requests from
third countries for assistance on law enforcement capacity-building. It should
ensure that responses to requests for training and knowledge-sharing are as
effective as possible and avoid duplication among the parties involved.

The
Europol Academy (coordinating) and the EEAS in cooperation with Frontex should
devise a common curriculum for pre-deployment training and for other
mission-specific training to be implemented in 2015.

Building upon CEPOL’s 2012 mapping exercise, CEPOL and the Europol
Academy should include training on Strand 4 in future (strategic) training
needs analyses.

4.
An efficient approach to training in line with EU
priorities

For each of
the four strands above, the Training Scheme should be implemented according to four
guiding principles.

4.1.
Identifying needs

All EU-level law
enforcement training should adapt to changing needs. Every four years, the
Europol Academy should conduct a coordinated strategic EU law enforcement
training needs analysis in close cooperation with Member States, Frontex,
Eurojust, the EEAS, EASO the FRA and the Commission. It should address long-term
competence developments for law enforcement, improvements in the quality of
learning (see section 4.2) and gaps in training linked to the JHA strategies
and policies. In this respect, statistical data should be made available every
year to provide an overview, in particular as regards number of police
officials trained and type of training received. This will inform the
Commission, Member States, and the EEAS in determining how to deploy resources
and which officials should be targeted for specialised training. Within this
strategic framework, the Europol Academy and Frontex should, on an annual basis,
do a regular training need analysis to determine what training to offer
within their respective mandates. The annual analysis should be aligned with
the EU policy cycle on serious and organised crime priorities, once this is defined
in 2013. All analyses should identify:

1.
New learning outcomes to be developed;

2.
Performance gaps and how they can be closed
through high-quality training which complements existing EU or national
programmes; and

3.
Resources required.

A first coordinated strategic EU law enforcement training needs
analysis should be presented in 2014. It should be presented to COSI and endorsed
by the Council.

4.2.
High quality delivery

There is a
need for mutual recognition of law enforcement-related skills and knowledge.
Member States are already taking advantage of existing general academic
initiatives such as the Bologna and Copenhagen processes[22], which develop comparable and
equivalent standards for degrees and other qualifications at various levels
(based on the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning[23]) and vocational education and training,
through a system of cumulative study points recognised throughout Europe (ECTS)[24].

The Training Scheme should build on these quality-recognition
initiatives, placing an emphasis on lifelong learning principles. The
Commission considers that comparable qualifications at EU level for law
enforcement training (i.e. a sectorial qualifications framework) should be
established and implemented by 2020. This would apply to strands 3 and 4. As a
first step, the Europol Academy should ensure that EU level training modules
and courses are designed in accordance with the ECTS points system and in terms
of clear learning outcomes. Member States are also encouraged to take steps to
apply the ECTS points system to their national training modules.

In addition, there should be a specific profile for trainers acting
at EU level under the Training Scheme. This should contain a definition of teaching
skills, specialist knowledge and language proficiency. If necessary, trainers
should be offered training to optimise these skills. The Europol Academy, in
close cooperation with Member States and Frontex, should develop such a profile
and implement a mechanism for final selection, monitoring and evaluation of
trainers by the first semester of 2014.

To enhance quality of training provided under the Scheme, CEPOL and
other actors involved will be encouraged to draw on the expertise of, and
develop partnership with, private parties such as financial institutions and IT
companies.

CEPOL should present an action plan in
consultation with Member States and JHA agencies in 2014 on the establishment
of a common quality framework for law enforcement learning to be implemented by
2020 and present it to COSI.

4.3.
Enhancing career development for law enforcement
officials

With reference
to the development of quality frameworks described in section 4.2, Member
States should recognise the EU portfolio of skills, knowledge and competences acquired
under the Training Scheme as forming part of the portfolio that officials build
up at national level. Training offered under the Scheme should become a natural
component of a law enforcement official’s training portfolio, in line with the
principles of lifelong learning. Member States should make full use of training
tools such as e-learning, common curricula and exchange programmes or using the
train-the-trainer concept. Training under strand 3 of the Scheme will, in
particular, help fill gaps between training needs and training currently
available at national and international level.

4.4.
Efficient use of resources

The Training
Scheme aims to deliver efficiencies through greater specialisation, more
effective coordination, exploiting synergies and eliminating duplication, and
by aligning training needs more closely with delivery. The Europol Academy and the
national police academies should exploit the most efficient training methods to
achieve learning outcomes, using e-learning tools, for instance.

According to
an external study undertaken on behalf of the Commission, the overall direct
costs of implementing and administering the Training Scheme are estimated at € 3.4
million (in current prices) for the period 2013–2020. This would include the
costs of the new Scientific Committee (€ 90 000 per year) set up as an advisory
body for the Executive Director and the Management Board. According to the same
study annual efficiency savings could reach € 23 million for policing in
the EU[25]
compared to maintaining the status quo.

The Commission’s
proposal for the Internal Security Fund[26]
(ISF) 2014–2020 includes implementing training schemes on EU training policies
as an objective. Member States should report to the Commission about the number
of law enforcement officials trained on cross-border-related topics with the
help of the Fund. Opportunities to support the training of law enforcement
personnel through the European Social Fund[27]
under certain conditions should also be used.

5.
Implementing the Training Scheme: Roles and
responsibilities

The Training Scheme will be jointly implemented
by the Commission, Europol, the JHA agencies and Member States.

5.1.
The European Academy at Europol

The Europol
Academy will be the driving force and coordinator for implementing the Training
Scheme, in close cooperation with other EU agencies and the network of national
training academies. Six key tasks are proposed:

1.
The Europol Academy should itself seek to
develop into the EU centre of excellence for law enforcement (cross-border)
learning. It should aim to become the authority for professionals in this field
and act as a broker for exchanging best practice. The Europol Academy should seek
to act as coordinator on EU strategic law enforcement learning issues and
provide support to other EU agencies where needed, including by coordinating
strategic training needs analysis for law enforcement at EU level.

2.
In consultation with its stakeholders, the
Europol Academy should define a package of basic knowledge, including learning
outcomes for strand 1. CEPOL should present a first version of this in the
first semester of 2014.

3.
The Europol Academy should provide support to
Member States implementing strand 2 by disseminating best practices on
cross-border cooperation and provide learning tools when needed.

4.
The Europol Academy, together with the other
centres of excellence in the network of national training academies, should deliver
EU-level training for officials as well as the trainers themselves. As part of
strands 3 and 4, the Europol Academy should state the level for each course
with reference to the European Qualification framework, in cooperation with the
network of national training academies. The Europol Academy should ensure that
courses are well planned and that trainers are supported, evaluated and
remunerated appropriately.

5.
The Europol Academy should devise procedures and
guidance for defining training priorities, roles and responsibilities to coordinate
and support the delivery of all strands of the Training Scheme.

6.
Together with its stakeholders, the Europol
Academy should follow up the action plan to implement the framework of quality
assurance proposed by CEPOL in 2014, as described in section 4.2.

5.2.
National academies as centres of excellence

Specialised
training under the Scheme should
be provided by the most qualified body within the network
of national training academies or, where appropriate,
by the Europol Academy. National law enforcement academies specialised in
specific priority policing themes under strands 3 or 4, such as money
laundering, pre-deployment training for civilian missions or specific border
guarding issues, could be granted the status of ‘centre of excellence’ for an
agreed period of time and provide training for the whole of the EU on behalf of
the Europol Academy. Centres of excellence should operate in line with the common
quality assurance developed under the Training Scheme and described in 4.2. National
academies should be able to second experts or trainers to the Europol Academy.

5.3.
Member States

Member States
will be responsible for implementation of strands 1 and 2 in curricula for
initial and promotional training and are encouraged to use EU funding for this
purpose[28].
With regard to strand 2, Member States are encouraged to start up
training-related bilateral projects for improving cross-border cooperation
across a wide range of issues, such as surveillance, hot pursuit and sharing of
information through Police and Customs Cooperation Centres. Member States will
also be responsible for selecting officials qualified to participate in
civilian missions, and for nominating officials qualified to be trainers
teaching courses on strands 3 and 4 at EU level.

5.4.
European Commission

The Commission
will regularly evaluate progress in implementing the Training Scheme, including
the actions defined in this Communication. It will in particular evaluate measures
developed to provide quality assurance and the effectiveness of the Europol
Academy’s coordination. It will report every three years to the Council and the
European Parliament, with a first report in 2016.

5.5.
EU agencies

Frontex, the EMCDDA,
the FRA and the EASO also have an important role in contributing their unique
expertise to high-quality training and learning outcomes for law enforcement
officials. All agencies should liaise regularly and work to increase efficiency
and identify synergies in cross-cutting areas. For example, police officers,
border guards and customs officers should work together to combat trafficking in
human beings. The Europol Academy will have an overall coordinating role as
described in section 5.1.

5.6.
European External Action Service

The EEAS, the
European Commission and EU agencies work hand-in-hand to enhance cooperation,
with a special focus on capabilities and training[29]. When planned EU
civilian missions include the participation of law enforcement officials, the
Europol Academy should contribute with regard to training aspects at an early
stage and should be poised to facilitate additional specific training to ensure
participants in these missions have a common level of expertise. The EEAS
should be actively involved in this process and existing initiatives such as
from the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CivCom) should be
taken into account.

6.
Conclusion

Full and
constructive participation of Member States, the JHA agencies and other
stakeholders within the EU would enhance the effectiveness of the EU’s response
to common security challenges, making the most of limited budgetary resources.
It would raise awareness of EU and cross-border policing issues, ensure
recognition of specialised training in priority areas, raise the overall standard
of policing across the EU, enhance trust between law enforcement agencies and
stimulate the emergence of a common law enforcement culture. This would strengthen
EU law enforcement’s operational capacity to combat organised and serious
cross-border crime and terrorism.

The Commission
will follow up this Communication in close cooperation with, notably, the
European Parliament, Member States and the JHA agencies.

[1]               Taking into account the EU cyber security strategy;
Joint communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions; Cyber security Strategy
of the European Union: An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace. 7.2.2013 JOIN (2013)
1final.

[2]               The Stockholm Programme — An open and secure Europe
serving and protecting citizens, OJ C115, 4.5.2010, p. 1.

[3]               See e.g. European Parliament resolution of 14
December 2011 on the EU Counter-Terrorism Policy: main achievements and future
challenges (2010/2311(INI)).

[4]               Council Decision 2008/615/JHA
and Council Decision 2008/616/JHA, OJ L 210, 6.8.2008, p. 1 and  p.12.

[5]               It thereby complements the EU’s policy for judicial
training, see Building trust in EU-wide justice: a new dimension to European
judicial training, COM(2011) 551 final.

[6]               European Training Scheme — Mapping of Law Enforcement
Training in the EU, CEPOL 2012

[7]               8309/1/10 REV 1 ENFOPOL 93.

[8]               Article 5 of Regulation No 1168/2011 amending Council
Regulation No 2007/2004 establishing a European Agency for the Management of
Operational Cooperation at the external borders of the Member States of the European
Union of 25 October 2011, OJ L304, 22.11.2011, p. 1.

[9]               Sectoral Qualifications Framework for Border Guards;
www.frontex.europa.eu/training

[10]             Council Decision 2008/615/JHA
and Council Decision 2008/616/JHA, OJ L 210, 6.8.2008,
p. 1 and p.12.

[11]             Source: CEPOL’s exercise, cited in footnote 6.

[12]             Learning outcomes in conformity with the European
Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) contain knowledge, skills
and competences.

[13]             Eurostat — estimate 1.9 m.

[14]             Council Framework Decision 2006/960/JHA, OJ L 386,
29.12.2006, p. 89.

[15]             Convention implementing the
Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985, OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 19.

[16]             Council Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA of
13 June 2002 on the European arrest warrant and the surrender
procedures between Member States, OJ 190, 18.7.2002, p. 1.

[17]             A rogatory letter is a formal request from a court in
one country to ‘the appropriate judicial authorities’ in another country
requesting compulsion of testimony, documentary or other evidence, or effect of
service of process.

[18]             A readmission agreement regulates the return and
readmission of persons between two or more states in a treaty of international
law.

[19]             Communication from the Commission to the European
Parliament and the Council of 22 November 2010, The EU Internal Security
Strategy in Action: Five steps towards a more secure Europe, COM(2010) 673
final.

[20]             Council conclusions on setting the EU’s priorities for
the fight against organised crime between 2011 and 2013, 11050/11, 6 June 2011.

[21]             http://www.entriforccm.eu.

[22]             The Bologna Declaration of 19 June 1999; the Copenhagen
Declaration convened on 29 and 30 November 2002.

[23]             EQF provides a common reference framework which assists
in comparing the national qualifications systems, frameworks and their levels
by making qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries
and systems in Europe.

[24]             The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
(ECTS) provides generally valid and accepted procedures for the recognition of
study qualifications gained by students on courses outside their home country.

[25]             Study on the amendment of the Council Decision
2005/681/JHA setting up CEPOL activity, GHK, 10 April 2012. This cost figure
includes a new Scientific Committee (€ 90 000 per year) to advise the Executive
director and the Management Board of Europol, see the proposal for a Regulation
of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Union
Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation and Training (Europol).

[26]             Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament of
the Council establishing, as part of the Internal Security Fund, the instrument
for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime,
and crisis management.

[27]             www.ec.europa.eu/esf

[28]             See above, footnote 26 on the proposal for the Internal
Security Fund.

[29]             On 30 November 2011, COSI issued an opinion on
Strengthening Ties between CSDP and FSJ actors, Doc. 17884/11 JAI 906 COSI 112.